In the networked legal and governmental world, individuals at the center of public policy often play key but less visible roles. They operate in federal agencies, advise legislators, and shape long-term civic policies, which can involve broad questions of transparency and accountability. Thomas Michael Susman has had a significant impact in this world for over five decades.
Tom Susman has pursued public service, law practice, and nonprofit activity since the late 1960s. His professional experience includes government advisory services, private advocacy, and leadership of professional associations. He has helped to shape government openness bills, examined industry regulation, and contributed to discussions on lobbying ethics. His focus has been on promoting greater government transparency and accountability.
Susman clerked for a federal judge, worked for the US Department of Justice, and staffed the US Senate Judiciary Committee. He also practiced law in a major law firm, advancing the interests of corporations, Indian tribes, nonprofit organizations, and trade associations. At the American Bar Association, he led the organization’s advocacy on legislative issues, promoted the independence of the legal profession and access to justice, and played a part in advancing the rule of law abroad. These activities reflect his wide-reaching contributions to law, policy, and ethics.
Susman was born in Houston, Texas. His father, who had graduated from Yale Law School as an attorney, served as a role model for Susman. When their father died, their mother, a lawyer and civic leader, encouraged Susman and his brother to become lawyers.
He graduated from secondary school at St. John’s School in 1960 and entered Yale University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in History four years later. While in college, he held diverse campus positions, such as chairman of the newspaper sales agency and a member of the debate association. These experiences taught him organizational hierarchies and the value of hard work accompanied by well-reasoned arguments. Susman next attended the University of Texas School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Texas Law Review and authored the first edition of the Texas Rules of Form. After receiving his J.D. with highest honors in 1967, he clerked for US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge John Minor Wisdom, a noted figure in civil rights jurisprudence.
Susman’s initial government position was to advise federal agencies on the Freedom of Information Act in the Justice Department. He also covered Supreme Court confirmation hearings for the Johnson Administration. Although the nominees were not confirmed, the experience left a lasting influence on his view of the legislative process and federal courts.
He came to the US Senate Judiciary Committee in 1969 to help with policy formulation and oversight. He reviewed agency regulations, such as those of the Federal Trade Commission and the FDA, as Chief Counsel and Counsel to the Administrative Practice and Procedure Subcommittee. He was instrumental in drafting the 1974 Freedom of Information Act Amendments to enhance public access to government documents. He was involved in airline deregulation, the Indian Education Act of 1972, and judicial confirmations.
When Senator Edward M. Kennedy changed subcommittees, Susman became General Counsel for the Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly. He stayed with Kennedy as General Counsel when he became chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, working on judicial confirmations and supervising staff. During the 1980 election cycle, he took leave to help Kennedy’s presidential campaign, coordinating state strategies in Georgia and Texas before returning to legislative duties.
Susman left Capitol Hill and joined Ropes & Gray LLP in 1981 to open its Washington, D.C. office. He represented companies with regulatory and legislative challenges, including antitrust, procurement, and intellectual property. Clients included the American Gaming Association and Indian tribes such as the Navajo Nation on resource and federal policy issues. He continued to remain active in government information and privacy law and policy, resulting in his representing clients pro bono in several Freedom of Information Act lawsuits.
He filed FOIA lawsuits for the National Security Archive and Physicians for Human Rights and lobbied for legislation for the US Court of Federal Claims. He also taught government information and privacy law at the University of Texas and lobbying and legislative process at American University’s Washington College of Law. These roles were in addition to his legal advocacy work.
After serving in private practice for almost three decades, Susman moved to the American Bar Association as Associate Executive Director and Director of the Governmental Affairs Office. He was responsible for advancing legislative goals essential to the ABA, such as access to legal services, judicial independence, and immigration reform. He also played a role in the ABA’s global efforts to advance the rule of law, frequently engaging with foreign governments to discuss legislative design and open-government ideals.
His numerous years of ABA membership shaped his approach to policy and international law. He co-edited The Lobbying Manual and served as the ABA’s International Policy Coordinator, further cementing his place in professional responsibility and legal reform debates.
Susman counseled government officials across different nations regarding open government and transparency legislation. He monitored elections in Pakistan, Montenegro, and El Salvador for American organizations focused on democracy. He also addressed governmental transparency issues and legal institutions’ activities in India, Japan, and elsewhere.
His understanding of congressional mechanics and administrative law placed him at the center of FOIA controversies, the global freedom of information movement, and lobbyist disclosure advantages and limitations. These activities feed into broader debates about embracing democratic principles and openness initiatives across various political environments.
Susman worked on ethical guidelines for lobbyists as US lobbying came under attack. He served on boards that wrote ethics codes and vetted lobbying reform bills. His work emphasized the distinction between good advocacy and conflicts of interest, often focusing on the impact of reciprocity on government decision-making.
In 2023, the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics honored him with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. The following year, it was modified to the “Thomas Susman Lifetime Achievement Best Lobbyist” Award. This formal acknowledgment resulted from his consistent focus on rules-based advocacy, written contributions on ethics, and years spent teaching and guiding other professionals in lawful and ethical legislative representation.
Away from professional arenas, Susman has been associated with travel, fitness pursuits, and his family. He has four children and multiple grandchildren. His spouse, Hon. Susan G. Braden, served as Chief Judge of the US Court of Federal Claims and later joined academic and corporate boards in a retirement capacity. Their life in Washington, D.C., occasionally intersects with policy-related events, but both maintain varied interests across legal, educational, and community-based fields.
Susman’s longstanding approach to legislation, transparency, and public access to information has made a notable impact on legal education and ethical discourse. His record of scholarship, including contributions to various legal periodicals and manuals, illustrates his engagement with oversight and openness. Observers often cite his history of advising lawmakers, government offices, and international bodies when evaluating how best to align advocacy with the public interest.
The cumulative impact of Thomas Michael Susman’s work underscores the complex relationship between law, policy, and ethical standards. His advocacy, whether in private practice or through positions in government and professional associations, has been oriented toward clarifying legal frameworks and fostering accountability. In an era that regularly revisits questions of transparency, executive accountability, impartial courts, and the responsibilities of lobbyists, his contributions reflect a lifetime dedicated to shaping systems from within. The methods and reforms he helped develop remain part of ongoing dialogues about safeguarding public trust and fortifying democratic processes in the United States and beyond.
